Etymograph

English

Taklamakan

Taklamakan comes from Persian مکان ‘place’, and goes back to Arabic مَكَان.

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentمَكَانmakān‘place, location, position’
  2. Persianc. 900–presentمکانmakân‘place’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1980Taklamakan

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentمَكَانmakān‘place, location, position’
  2. Persianc. 900–presentمکانmakân‘place’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1980Taklamakan

Earliest quotation: 1980, Peter Hopkirk, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: “Surrounding the Taklamakan on three sides are some of…”

The story

Most researchers agree that the second part is derived from Persian مکان (makân, “place”), from Arabic مَكَان (makān). The etymology of Takla is less clear, however. Being first attested in Chagatai as ترک مکان (trk mkʾn /⁠tark-i makān⁠/), likely from ترک (trk /⁠tark⁠/, “abandonment”) + مکان (mkʾn /⁠makān⁠/, “place”).

Every English word from Arabic مَكَان

Today it means

name A cold desert in the Xinjiang autonomous region, China, the largest desert entirely contained in China.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Arabic مَكَان / Taklamakan

Shirt and support for this word